PORT OF LOS ANGELES MOVES 779,140 CARGO UNITS IN MAY

Volume Improves for Third Consecutive Month

SAN PEDRO, Calif. – June 13, 2023 – For the third consecutive month, cargo volume at the Port of Los Angeles increased in May, with the Port handling 779,140  Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) for the month. While that is a drop of about 19% compared to last May, it represents a 60% increase in cargo since February.
 
“Even with improving volume, our terminals are a long way from working at full capacity,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka during a media briefing on Tuesday. “We’re starting to see more vessels headed across the Pacific to Los Angeles, an encouraging sign for the second half of the year.”
 
Seroka noted that a completed labor contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association – along with a healthy U.S. economy – would boost waterfront jobs and cargo activity in the remainder of 2023.
 
May 2023 loaded imports reached 409,150 TEUs, down 18% compared to the previous year. Loaded exports came in at 101,741 TEUs, a decline of 19% compared to last year. Empty containers landed at 268,249 TEUs, a 22% year-over-year decline.
 
During the first five months of 2023, the Port handled 3,304,344 TEUs, a 27% decline compared to the same period in 2022. Current and historical cargo data, including fiscal year-end totals, are available here.